


Batwoman: The Risen Queen

by OfficialHarleyQuinn (totallybritishotaku)



Series: Batwoman: A Batman/Supernatural Crossover [1]
Category: DC Cinematic Universe, Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 00:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7823122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totallybritishotaku/pseuds/OfficialHarleyQuinn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I always wanted to get revenge. The man who killed my parents had always rung around in my head. I'll never, ever forget the events of the past thirty years. It's only fitting I should die on the same day as my parents. I mean, not the exact moment, but thirty years later. If you're Castiel Novak, you've lost. If you're not, I suggest you open this. Yes, you'll never get your regular life back, but the truth is worth it. Living in a city where a man who wants to watch the world burn for fun rules over you can push you to read this. I hope you never go through my pain. Through my loss. Because losing everything isn't that fun. Enter: Batwoman.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Featuring batman!Charlie, harleyQuinn!Dean, and joker!Cas, Batwoman is my twist on the famous DC Character's adventure and life. I would like to dedicate this story to Heath Ledger, for being an amazing person and who will always be remembered for his work, and Alan Rickman, for his character Severus Snape, who gave me hope in a time of darkness.</p><p>Batman/Supernatural: Book One</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning of Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> "Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy. "
> 
> "Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."
> 
> "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
> 
> "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
> 
> -Albert Einstein

My name is Charlie. If you’re reading this, I’m probably beyond dead. I might be locked up in a bunker six feet under the ground, with interrogators trying to get information out of me. Joker Enterprises doesn’t always treat their enemies nicely. Of course, I don’t care. My only job, the whole reason I was born, was for this. I know it.

In case you want to know, this story isn’t going to end well. In fact, it’s going to end up shredded and cut and thrown out of the window into a mud puddle, run over by car tires driven by rich people who were driving a little too closely to the Joker Enterprise Towers. The point is that I’ve got to have whoever ends up reading this has to pass it on to as many people as possible. I’m sorry to tell you that the moment you picked this up, a death penalty (given to international terrorists and hitmen) has been placed onto your head. They’ve got ways of finding out. He’s got ways of finding out.

The only thing I have to say to Castiel “Joker” Novak if he managed to find this is this: Congratulations. You think you’ve won. But I didn’t write this because I needed to. It’s because if there’s anyone out there who can figure out what happened to me, I’m going to take my chances. You tried to kill me so many times, I lost count. I’ve escaped. Until now. I spread the word to my sidekicks. Nightwing and Robin aren’t that easy to beat when it comes to hiding from you. Plus, a girl can’t always hide from people her whole life. I wasn’t raised into this. The two boys were. Even Batgirl can beat you. She’s one of the best ninjas I’ve ever encountered. They’re going to take you down, strand by strand. And soon, there’s not going to be enough of you left to be known as human. The world’s going to know.

You can try to stop them, but there’s no way you’re going to beat them.

To anyone who isn’t Castiel and is anyone else out there, the rest of this story was written for you. I hope whatever that happened to you wasn’t as bad as what happened to me. No one hates the Joker more than I do. My name is Charlie Bradbury, of Bradbury Industries. I’m Batwoman. This is the story of how Castiel and I fought, how our lives became entangled, how he ended up killing innocent lives without a second thought. I’ll show you how to beat him. So will you hide, fight or die trying?

We’re going to start at the very beginning. When I was eight years old. My parents were Alec Bradbury and Gertrude Middleton. My dad created Bradbury Industries, and when his company brought Middleton Corps to save them from going bankrupt, my parents met and got married. It was happy. They had me. I was destined to own the company. Dad was going to teach me how to run a company, without getting backlash for being a woman. Mom was going to be… well, my mother. My parents were the best people who I knew. I wish they were still here, every single day.

When I was eight, we were coming back from watching a musical. I can’t even remember which one, because apparently I suffered from memory loss because of the shock of losing my parents. I remember every other excruciating detail, though, and I will never forget it.

My parents and I were talking when a mugger came. He had worn complete black, and had a voice modulator. He held a gun at my parents.

“Give me everything valuable.” he said. My parents stood there in shock. “NOW!!” he roared. My mom reached for her pearls. My dad tried to stop her.

“Don’t give him your pearls. Your father gave that to you.” he said.

“Nothing means more to me than my daughter.” she replied. Throwing her pearls to the ground, she threw her purse, her ring and her earrings. The only things left that would be worth anything are her clothes.

“You too, bulky man.” the mugger growled. I was so scared, I didn’t do anything. Dad threw his wallet and watch onto the ground. He kissed his ring before throwing it onto the ground, too. The mugger smiled. “Enjoy heaven, suckers.”

I’ll never forget seeing him shoot my parents square in the forehead. My mom fell back, screaming. My dad grunted and fell.

“MOM!!” I screamed. “DAD!!” They were dead almost as soon as they hit the ground. The mugger’s hand aimed the gun at me. He gave me a cold stare before smiling clearly through his mask.

“Keep the stash, Charlie.” he said. I cried, tears pouring down my face.

“I’ll catch you, and I’ll kill you.” I growled.

“I hope you do. It’ll be better than most of my choices.” he said, and ran away. I shook my parents, but I knew they were dead before they even were. I pulled out my phone, my hands shaking with fear, and called the police.

“Hello, emergency hotline, how may I help you?” a kind woman said.

“Hi, this is Celeste Middleton, or Charlie Bradbury. My parents and I were walking to a restaurant. They got shot, can someone please come?” I said, crying. My voice never wavered when I cried. I wish it did. I would have at least taken away the emptiness inside. The stillness I felt, my fingers still on my mom’s dead pulse.

“Of course, sweetheart.” the lady rushed into the phone. I hung up and cried until the cop cars came. A woman hopped out, and ran up to me. She was holding a shock blanket. She led me over to a stairwell nearby, where I sat. I was still crying, but there wasn’t anything coming out of my mouth. The tears just ran down my face, like boulders rolling down mountains. The facade holding me together had crumbled and built itself back up.

I saw one of our limos pull up. Alfred jumped out and ran over to me.

“Charlie, are you okay?” he asked me. I nodded stiffly, knowing that nothing would ever fix this.

You may wonder why I am telling you this. You may wonder why this is all so important. Why my parent’s death has anything to do with the Joker and his criminal empire. 

It’s because everything in life is connected, especially when you’re me. I hope you never have to feel the pain I felt in this whole story. I’ll try to summarize my entire life as well as possible. I hope you never feel my pain. Please, please promise me something.

Never feel this pain. Ever. Losing my parents was the worst thing younger me felt, and I’ll never forget how alone I felt until Alfred came. I’ll never forget how much revenge I wanted. How badly I wanted to kill that mugger with my bare hands. I’ll never, ever, ever forget. I hope no one has to feel that way. Because it’s been twenty years exactly, and I’ll never forget.

Rest in peace, mom and dad. I know you never wanted this life for me. I hope you’re up there, going all Han Solo on those losers I beat up in my life. I’ve got to say, you guys kicked butt while you were alive.

Just so you guys know, twenty years ago my parents died. I guess thirty years later, it’s only fitting for their kid to die, too. At pretty much the hands of the same man. Or in a broad sense. You’ll see what I’m talking about once you reach the end.

So once again, Rest in Peace, Alec Bradbury and Gertrude Middleton. You created one awesome daughter. I guess I never would have dreamed of bringing down the Joker without you guys. So thanks.

Now to my readers, please understand that whatever you go through, you can never go through the same pain as me. I promised myself that one more person going through that would nearly kill me. Or send me to Purgatory. I hope it does, anyways. So make sure the Joker goes down, because he’s taken too many people to be allowed to walk free.

Enter: The Rise of Batwoman.


	2. Filling In The Puff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
> 
> "You can't blame gravity for falling in love."
> 
> "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."
> 
> -Albert Einstein

Alfred and I were in the living room, the police chief sitting in a chair in front of us.

“We’re capable of helping ourselves.” I said coldly. I may be eight, but my parents taught me how to crumble people like bread crust. The chief was obviously lying, they weren’t going to catch the man who killed my parents. They were working with The Mob, a criminal empire almost as large as The Joker’s. The guy sitting in front of me was very, very close to being spit in the face. I could almost hear Alfred’s mouth water and begin to save saliva.  
“Well, if you don’t want our help, how are you going to catch the mugger?” the chief said, chuckling.

“I’ve got my own people. Remember, we are much more powerful than your strongest task force. We’ve got weapons that could honestly rip apart the entire city in minutes. I suggest you escort yourselves out, before I show you just how committed I am to not getting help from police officers who are cheating their way into people’s wallets.” I snarled. After Mom and Dad… left, I had turned tougher, scarier. I liked it.

“What?” the police chief practically yelped.

“Alright, your brain must be so miniscule that you cannot understand what I’m saying. Let me make it clear: get out before my highly equipped task force sends hundreds of bullets into your chest and has the world forget you in moments.” I growled. I passed Alfred my phone so he could text my task force to take aim and fire if needed.

“Fine.” the chief said. He reluctantly got up and left, two officers following him. One of them, a girl, was giving me a sympathetic look. I gave her an emotionless stare back. Once they left, I sighed and reached for the TV remote. I turned on Gotham City News, and saw that my parent’s deaths were being reported. I sighed before switching to Cartoon Network. Adventure Time was going to come on.

“Alfred, please remove yourself from the premises of this room and the two room radius surrounding it.” I said. When he didn’t respond, I turned and saw that he was gone. My phone beeped and I looked at it. Alfred: I left when I saw you change the channel. I chuckled to myself before standing up and picking up the microphone that normally resides on the speakers. The logo popped up, and I began.

“ADVENTURE TIME!”

“COME ON GRAB YOUR FRIENDS!”

“WE’LL GO TO VERY DISTANT LANDS!”

“JAKE THE DOG AND FINN THE HUMAN!”

“THE FUN WILL NEVER END!”

“IT’S ADVENTURE TIME!” I screamed. When I finished, I sat down and started watching the show. I thought over everything that had happened before the police force had showed up.

~~~~~~

“Alfred, as long as that man is walking around on the streets, no one is safe!” I argued.

“Ma’am, you can’t fight him yourself. He did kill your parents without really having too much of a problem.” Alfred said. Stupid british gentleman butlers.

“Damn you and your accent!” I grunted.

“Refrain from cursing, Ms. Bradbury.” he replied. I sighed before rubbing my eyes. That was when I got an idea.

“Alfred, I’ve got an idea.” I said. “Do we have task forces?”

“Absolutely, Ms. Bradbury.”

“Can we assign some of them to do jobs for us?”

“Yes, Ms. Bradbury.” I smiled.

“Alright, have one task force follow the police chief. Mom and Dad told me the police were teaming up with The Mob. Have another get as much information as possible and send me all the intel they can, and have a final one trail the cities, looking for the man who killed my parents.” I said. Alfred nodded before going and getting the task forces ready. I’ve got to say, Alfred been a good man for as long as I’ve known him. Even now, he’s always been there for me.

~~~~~~

“Ms. Bradbury, we’ve got a notification from the task force following the police. They’ve informed us that the police are coming soon. The Mob has agreed to splitting half of the profits they earn off of you by 50% for each side. Should we begin preparing?” Alfred said.

“Alright, but they better leave before Adventure Time comes on.” I said, taking off my Jake onesie and slipping into a dark purple dress, with my mom’s black heels. Being rich and an orphan does have its perks.

~~~~~~

__

_5 Years Later_

“Ms. Bradbury, we have a match.” Alfred said from behind me. I looked at him. For five years, we had never stopped looking for the man who had killed my parents.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“It’s a man who goes by Deathstroke. He’s a family friend of The Joker family.”

“Who?”

“They are a huge criminal family. Their empire is huge. By what you have heard, he’s been hired to do this.” Alfred said. I sighed before rubbing my eyes.

“It’s almost midnight. I’ll think about how I’m going to cut them into little bits tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else."  
> -Margaret Mead
> 
> "We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know."  
> -W.H. Auden
> 
> "I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade... And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party."  
> -Ron White


	3. Why Not The Last One?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Remember today, for it is the beginning of always. Today marks the start of a brave new future filled with all your dreams can hold. Think truly to the future and make those dreams come true."  
> -Albert Einstein

__

_9 Years Later_

Dick was walking back home from the grocery store. When I say home, I mean the tents that his circus had pitched up, ready to start eating his mom’s famous shepherd’s pie with his entire family. Out of nowhere, he heard a gunshot. Turning his head, he saw that it had come from where his family’s tent was. He dropped the groceries and ran towards the sound.

When he got there, he saw Elaina, his sister, lying on the ground, bleeding out.

“ELAINA!!!” he screamed. Running towards his sister, he sat down at her side.

“Look… at… me…” she said. Dick held her face in his hands. She smiled up at him.

“You can’t die, sis, please don’t, sis stay awake!” he screamed.

“We’ll always be here for you, Dick.” she whispered. “Just… go make him pay…” she whimpered the last part.

“Who?” Dick urged. “Make who pay?”

“J-Joke…” she managed, before her eyes closed. He felt tears running down his face as he ran towards the tent. Turning back once to look at his sister, he promised he would avenge her.

_Strike One: Elaina._

Dick ran into the tent to see his other sister, Ellie, dead, too.

_Strike Two: Ellie._

Dick saw his father lying cold on the ground, holding his own gun in his hands.

_Strike Three: Ricardio._

Dick saw his mom lying a little bit away from him. Tears were making his shirt moist, too. He didn’t care, because his whole family, almost everyone who he loved, was dying.

_Strike Four: Emilia._

Dick saw his brother lying bloody, a little away from a man in a red and white shirt, holding a baseball bat and a gun. He choked on his sob as he saw that Derek was pointing a knife at where the man was.

_Strike Four: Derek._

Dick saw his niece, Deanna, cowering in the corner. She was quietly sobbing, balled up and keeping her eyes shut. Her hands were covering her head.

“Dad, please don’t hurt me.” she whimpered. Dick’s mouth laid open as he saw the man standing in front of him wasn’t just a random guy. It was his brother-in-law, mentor, practically best friend, Dean Winchester. He held the gun.

“I’m sorry, pumpkin. Daddy’s got to.” he said. He closed his eyes as he pulled the trigger. She screamed before crumpling to the ground.

_Strike Five: Deanna._

“You.” Dick said.

“Me.” Dean replied, turning around. His face was cold, and it was painted with make-up. His hair was dyed in red and blue. He looked like a court jester. Everything from his shoes to his shirt to his pants to his bat to his gun were all red, blue, white and black. He pointed the gun at Dick and shot. Dick swerved out of the way, barely missing the bullet. Snapping back into a fight stance, Dick grabbed a nearby wire and took out some of his instant acid from his utility belt. Being in the circus had its perks.

Dick slammed the wire onto Dean, watching as he yelped in pain at the acid burning through his sleeve, right onto his bicep. Dean punched Dick in the face, hitting his cheek. Dick stumbled back, dropping the wire. He immediately reached for a long stick and twirled it to adjust to its weight. He swiped at Dean, attempting to hit his neck. Dean ducked, and Dick swiped at his legs, Dean dodging the move again. Dick jabbed the stick right at Dean’s stomach, and Dean caught it and pulled it away, then jabbed and broke Dick’s leg. Dick groaned in pain, and Dean pointed a gun at him.

“Shoot, you monster.” Dick snarled. Dean tilted his head.

“Monster?” Dean said.

“You killed your own wife, the last of your family who is actually able to care for you, even your own daughter. If I don’t have to live in a world with such a monster, I’ll take my chances.” Dick said. Dean stayed in place, the gun aimed at Dick’s head. He seemed to be taking in what Dick said. He finally lowered the gun.

“I’ll be back, buddy.” Dean said. He put the gun away and walked out to a purple limo. Dick groaned in pain as he tried to get up. His legs hurt like hell, and he could hear Dean’s voice chanting the same thing over and over in his head.

_I’ll be back, buddy. I’ll be back, buddy. I’ll be back, buddy._

Dick saw Dean’s limo drive away, and an opening in the limo shot out fireworks. The fireworks lined up to be a Joker’s face. Dick let a single tear fall down his face, and he swore to avenge his family.

“J-Joker…” he muttered, before passing out.

~~~~~~~~~ 

_I’ll be back, buddy._

Dick sat upright, crying out in pain as he pulled on the stitches he had all over his body. His short fight with Dean had caused the other circus actors to check out their tent once Dean had escaped. They had seen all the Graysons dead, and saw Dick was still alive. They had barely managed to get him to the hospital, and Dick had woken up and heard the Doctor telling a nurse everything that happened. He had went back to sleep, but woke up when he dreamed about reliving Dean killing his family every day.

He got up, trying to be as quiet as possible, and walked outside. He pulled his IV along with him, looking around for nurses, before going to the Equipment room. He grabbed a pair of crutches and walked outside, leaving his IV behind. He made sure to leave a name label on the machine, so that the nurses knew it was his. He did need to come back at one point, of course. 

He made sure to be stealthy, hiding whenever a doctor or nurse came around. He managed to get out of the hospital, and found a cab.

“Where to?” the cabbie asked. 

“Gotham Family Archives.” Dick said. 

~~~~~~

Dick was halfway through the files on the Graysons when he saw a box labeled “Batwoman”. Curious, Dick took the box and opened it. There was a file, filled with pictures of Batwoman and Charlie Bradbury (I’m still writing this, btdubs), and a little piece of paper. Dick took it and began to read:

_Dear Dick,_

_I know it’s probably you that’s going to find this. You’ve always had a huge connection with our family’s love for each other. It’s dad, by the way. You are the only person who knows about the GFA storage facility we have here, other than your mother. If I told you about this, our family’s gone. It may have happened years before you read this, it may have happened five minutes before. The point is, this is probably the most important box in this whole archive._

_There is a very powerful woman in this city named Charlie Bradbury. I worked at her school, and I was a teacher before I joined the circus. She was my favorite student, and I was her favorite teacher. Your mother was a music teacher at that school, and Charlie loved us. I always kept in touch with her, and when she was younger, she confessed to me things only her closest family and friends knew. I was one of the few people she trusted, and still does._

_Charlie is Batwoman, a rising vigilante in Gotham City. You will know her as the person who has saved countless lives, helped hundreds of people, and forced unfair business men to give up their ways. If we are gone, Charlie is the first person you should go to. She will help you in any way she can, and I believe you will also grow to like her. If you believe this is a trick (I do know Derek enjoys his shares of pranks), there is a file that you can read about how she is most definitely Batwoman. I figured out it was her on my own, and only spoke to her once since finding out. She believed it was dangerous for me to know her. I believe my death probably had nothing to do with her, probably something involving a drug lord or something. I happen to be known to put up quite a fight with people like that._

_I wish I was still there. Outliving you was going to be one of my life goals, you know. It was on my bucket list. Maybe some things are not as easy to achieve as others._

_Farewell, Dick. I hope you are able to change the way things are, because Gotham is in ruin, and if one person believes they can do something, they will be able to spark a huge idea, a huge change._

_Love, Ricardio Grayson_

Dick felt tears form in his eyes as he read the last connection to his father. Crying, he opened the file and saw that it was indeed his father who wrote the letter, as there was clear evidence as to why Charlie was Batwoman. Of course, he knew it ever since he saw his father’s typewriter's perfect ink on the paper, graphing out some of his father's last words.

Charlie Bradbury. Dick knew what he had to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Madness, as you know, is a lot like gravity, all it takes is a little push."  
> -The Joker, The Dark Knight.


	4. Red Robins Need Wings, Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy's shoulder to let him know the world hasn't ended." 
> 
> -Batman, The Dark Knight Rises

It was dark. I was in my mansion, about three sublevels down. My perfect shaped and styled Batwoman suit was skin tight, and my cape helped me travel through the night like a soundless ninja. Which ninjas are soundless. So it's pretty much just an more ninja-like ninja. Which might not make sense. So I'm blabbering at this point. Ha, just like good old me. 

My alarms started going off. It was above ground, so no one was breaking into the Bat Cave. I sighed before walking towards the high speed express elevator and taking it all the way to my ground floor. My phone beeped, and I saw that Alfred was calling me. I forgot that he was in New York for his granddaughter's graduation. To be honest, I forgot that he had a granddaughter. I answered thec all and swiped the phone up to my ear. 

"Alfred, what do you want?" I said into the phone. 

"Ma'am, I suggest you check what has breached the perimeter." Alfred said. 

"It's not the BatCave, so I don't care." 

"No, it's a full on intruder. Someone's working their way towards your hideout." Damn, Daniel. No one's ever done that before, considering I've got the most foolproof security system ever tested in the world. 

"And how did you know that?" 

"I'm connected to the security cameras." 

"Boy, go back to your granddaughter, she's going to be gone soon, you know." I said. I heard Alfred chuckled slightly before ending the call. I got upstairs and something that would have been hard to believe if I hadn't seen it myself. 

There was a boy, in skin-tight spandex that was so pretentious that the guards should have seen him miles away, yet he was still traveling like a ninja, dodging attacks and ambushing in places no one would have expected. Every so often, he would disappear into a shadow, and there would be a laugh coming from him before he attacked a guard, having them pass out. I thought for a moment, thinking about this boy, and before I knew it all my guards were knocked out. 

He and I stood right across from each other, not saying a word. My hand was tapping my chin, thinking. I reached for my belt calmly, and he gripped his bo staff (mind you, it looked more like one of those balance sticks that circus people use in their acts) tightly, but there really was no need; I had only taken out a measuring tape. He gave me a confused look before I went over and began to measure his arms, legs, and body. After about five minutes of me measuring him, the silence that hung in the air was broken. 

"Why are you measuring me?" He asked me. 

"There is no way I'm letting my new sidekick walk around in skin tight spandex like he's Superman or something." I said. 

"Sidekick?" He said, unimpressed. 

"More like very helpful assistant." I said. I stood back up straight, remembering all the measurements. I held out my hand. "Hi there, Celeste Middleton-Bradbury, call me Charlie." 

~~~~~~

"Rick's dead?" I asked him. He told me everything, from hearing a gunshot on his way home to beating up the guards (which he did quite well for a beginner, trust me), and I knew that I'd lost another one. Another family. I guess it would happen at one point. 

"Yeah, I never knew he was on nickname terms with you." He said. 

"Not a lot of people were." I said. "He mostly kept to himself when I was in school." 

"What was he like when he was a teacher?" Dick asked me curiously. Unlike him, I never talked about my parents if I could avoid it. Unless I knew someone had to, I never would. I chuckled for a little before answering. 

"He was the best teacher. It was a private school, a really serious one, and before he came, all the teachers always were quiet and never really talked much. Except for your mom. She had everyone call her Emilia, and when he came, she always invited him to our room. Even though she told us to call him Mr. Grayson, he always told us he wanted to be called Ricardio. It was fun, they were the bestest of friends. If they didn't end up together, I wouldn't have been surprised. I mean, they were just that close in their friendship. One day, I heard her talking about him in the staff room, seeing as I had direct access, and I heard him talking about her later that day! I knew that Em and Rick, as I always called them, just had to end up together. I always imagined that they would be the perfect couple, and seeing as they became grandparents at twenty, I guess they were!" We laughed for a bit before the air got tense. They were awesome, beyond what you can imagine. Without them, I never would have had anyone growing up except Alfred and a very close friend. They were like siblings to me. Siblings who ended up married. Wow, can I be quite weird in my mind. 

"Before they... left, Mom was making Shepherd's Pie. It was her specialty. She told me a super close friend taught her, and Dad would start singing this song. It was super childish, it sort of went, I think, 'Celeste Middleton, Queen of the Geeks, Celeste Middleton, 100%!', and they would start laughing." Dick said. I laughed, thinking of the song I sang back in third grade. 

"When I first met them, for a project in your Mom's class, we had to sing a song, and your dad, who taught math, gave us a recipe and we had to recreate it using perfect proportions. I mastered that Shepherd's Pie, and he called in Em to try it. Because I was leaving class early that day, I asked if I could present my song, and in front of your parents, I sang that song. They even learned the lyrics and everything!" I was crying by the end of it. It hurt, you know. Losing them. Sister and brother from another mister and mother. They were the best friends I had, growing up when I was a kid. I guess, when you're freaking Batwoman everyone you love dies if they can't fend for their own. 

"You're going to avenge them." I said. He shook his head. 

"I'm not killing Dean." He said. 

"You want to see if you can bring him back to sanity, don't you?" I asked. He stared at me for a little bit before nodding. "We'll try. But don't force anything onto yourself. If we can't save him-" 

"Don't say that." Dick said. I nodded. The topic, I believe, he understood. He was a smart kid. 

"You know, that laugh you gave earlier, it reminds me of a Robin." I said. "I guess you'll be my little Robin sidekick." 

"I guess I'm the Robin, then." 

"I guess you are." 

We smiled at each other. Looks like my adopted son was going to be fun to raise. 

~~~~~~

"Whoa." He said. We had just entered my training facility. There were ten different floors for the training areas. This one was the very first one I had built, or "Home Base". The rest were for specific activities. One was for international cardiac activities. One was for dodgeball. One was for ninja stealth. There were hundreds for all types of people. My very specific training schedule was planned out already. I explained all this to Robin prior to showing him this floor. 

"You'll be in charge of creating your training schedule. I'll be with you throughout Week One, but you've got to take the rest. Some of the mandatory ones are the ICA, for international cardiac activities, Daily Stretch, which you have to visit every day in the morning and before lunch, and Fitness Measure, which you really only need to check every week. I'll go through each with you. For today, I'm teaching you all the rules to being the Robin. 

"First, you have to always have your utility belt with you. If you ever find yourself cornered, that utility belt that you have is your best asset. Sometimes, you don't need everything to be able to succeed, but that belt is something that makes life a lot more easier." I said. 

"Okay, UB, check." Dick said. I liked this kid already. 

"Second, never let anyone know your identity unless I give you explicit permission to." I said. His eyebrow shot up. 

"So I'll never be Dick Grayson again, other than around you?" He said. I chuckled. 

"No, it's like how no one knows I'm Batwoman except a select few people. Unless I give you the clearence for them to know, while you are in your Robin get-up, no one can know you are the Robin. Capiche?" 

"Capiche." Dick said. That was when I heard Alfred singing 'Hey Jude' in the elevator. I forgot he was coming over today. 

"Darn it, Alfred." I said. He came in holding tea and a saucer. 

"Hello, Ms. Brad-" he said, cut off when he saw Dick standing there. "Who in the name of Christ is that?!" 

"Oh, our intruder. It's, uh, Dick Grayson." I said. 

"As in Richard Grayson, Ricardio's son?" He asked. I nodded. 

"Um, Charlie, who's this?" Dick asked me. 

"It's Alfred Pennyworth, my Butler/father/mentor." I said. Dick nodded slowly, obviously completely confused. 

"Ms. Bradbury, may I speak to you privately?" He asked me. I nodded and went over to him. 

"Dick, just practice whatever you know how to do." I told him. Dick nodded, and I saw him punching a punching dummy. I've got to say, he's got skill. Alfred and I went over to the water fountains. 

"Ms. Bradbury, I have information to tell you." Alfred told me. I grunted to show that I was listening. He sighed before continuing. Uh oh. 

"Your biggest competition in the Enterprise business are Rathaway Industries, led by Hartley Rathaway, the original heir to the company, and Novak Enterprises." I slowly turned my head to look at Alfred. 

"Um, you're telling me my biggest competitors are the Pied Piper and the Joker?" I said. Alfred solemnly nodded. "Have I got boosted down yet?" 

"You're still the most successful person in the world. But the family problems, the murder behind how they got the reins, it's something that you have to fix. Hartley killed his way to getting the reins of his parent's company. Even though he left the company early, he killed his brother's family and took Rathaway Industries for himself. Don't even get me started on the Novaks. I think we know plenty well how The Joker's got his way around town." Alfred said. I thought for a moment. 

"We're going to have to find a way to get rid of them, you know." I said. "It's going to be hard, but both of them have to go." 

"Meanwhile, I've got some stuff for you to do. Order a Robin costume that would fit a sixteen year old boy." Alfred nodded before departing to do his thing. I went back to see that Dick was gone. 

"Richard Grayson, where are you?" I said. He did that creepy laugh, and the next thing I knew, he was beating up that dummy without me even have seen him come. Dang, he came quick. This kid was going to be a really jolly to teach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You'll never know if you can fly unless you take the risk of falling." 
> 
> -Nightwing


	5. Starry Night Wonders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."  
> -Batman

**Triggers: Self-Harm (mentions)**

"What was the first thing that you did when you became Batwoman?" Dick asked me. We were sitting in Fairie's Café. We both were sipping lattes while sitting in a corner, our hoods up and trying (and utter failing) to conceal ourselves from other people. We were talking so quietly that we could barely catch each other's words. 

"A boy and his parents were walking home. The Wayne Industries family. A mugger stopped them and was about to kill his parents. I stopped it." I said. 

"So you prevented what happened to you from happening to that boy." 

"That's the whole reason I became Batwoman. To ease the pain of the innocent, and to punish and inflict pain upon the sinners." I said, quoting Alfred's description of me. 

"Touche." Dick said, grinning. I smiled back at him. We really were a good team, huh? A waitress walked by. 

"Hi there what would yo- OH MY JESUS CHRIST IT'S CHARLIE BRADBURY." The waitress said. I chuckled as Dick fell out of his chair in surprise. Everyone in the café turned to me, and suddenly it was like there were hundreds of people (really only like twenty) wanting my autograph. Dick got back into his chair, and cameras and questions turned to him. He sort of sat there in surprise, hiding behind his glasses. 

"Char, what do I do?" He whispered. 

"Just ignore them, they'll pass. Or not. You'll get used to it." I said. Dick nodded, and we went back to sipping our tea, deciding that the topic of Batwoman would be a little risky in this situation. 

"So, when are we going to battle our first villain?" Dick asked, smirking in pleasure at the idea of beating up bad guys while other kids were in class groaning over learning about the Middle East. 

"All in time, young grasshopper." I said, sipping my tea. 

"You've been waiting to say that, haven't you?" 

"Yup." I said, still sipping tea, thinking about how this kid probably knows me better than Alfred did after being my butler for two months. Then again, Alfred is a billionaire on his own. He just decided that working for his niece and nephew and their daughter was a lot more fun that just retiring and hanging out in the Bahamas (Alfred always wears suits and hates the heat). 

"Can we go joyriding tonight?" Dick asked. I smiled, seeing as he was a truly quick learner. Joyriding, as I called it, is when you go around the city, using the shadows of the night for your advantage. Plus, it would be the perfect time for Dick to show off his new suit.

~~~~~~ 

"Oh my god."

"Not quite." 

"It's a suit." 

"Yup." 

"It's black and red." 

"Yes, I know you can tell, neither of us are colorblind." 

"It's beautiful." 

"I consider it more stealthy." 

"Jesus, is it awesome." 

"You are seriously a little pansy kitty cat." 

"What?" 

"Nothing."

~~~~~~ 

Dick came out of the bathroom after he changed. The suit fit him perfectly. Skintight, just how all heroes like it. And it was so dark that no one would notice him in the cover of the night.

"You like it?" He asked me nervously. Why was this kid so hooked on my opinion? 

"Of course I love it, you sh-munchkin." I said. For a second, I forgot he was a kid. He must not have noticed the "sh-munchkin" comment, because he smiled and did a little dance before going back to being serious after I gave him a very blank face. 

"So, where are we going?" He asked me. I smirked. 

"Everywhere."

~~~~~~ 

The best part about Joyriding isn't the feeling of wind blowing onto your body lightly as you travel across the city, or the excitement you get while jumping from roof to roof, although it definitely adds on to the enjoyment. The best part is getting to see Gotham City while it's asleep. The way that for five minutes, just five, the five minutes before midnight where the city slowly sleeps and peace keeps intact for so long. The way that for five minutes, nothing is wrong. Showing Robin that was essential to his training. It's the beautiful things that drive a hero, the lives that we get to save, not the battles we fight.

**Minute One**

"Hurry up!" I yelled to Dick, as he started to huff and puff more often after each jump to a new rooftop. 

"You're too quick, you know." He said. I chuckled before continuing on. While he constantly demeaned himself, he was actually really a super tough cinnamon bun cookie at heart. It took me longer to learn how to adjust myself to such a new lifestyle, but his determination towards saving his last family branch was what had driven him to become so strong in life. Maybe he never really did need me to train him. He could have picked this up on his own. Being the Robin benefited him, but he would still have been able to managed. 

"I didn't train you for nothing, did I? Now stop underestimating your stamina and power and jump that rooftop!" I yelled. We had a whole rooftop between us, and he was at the perfect spot to jump from that rooftop to the one I was at. He smirked and backed off into shadows. Uh oh. 

I heard his Robin laugh, but from where, don't ask me. Ask him. The next thing I knew, he was eating my donut, which he must have stolen from my suit pocket. 

"How-" I began, but decided better on it, and instead chuckled and took my donut back and split it in half, giving one half to him. We were sitting on a rooftop eating donuts. Call us preppy. 

**Minute Two**

He began getting better at the rooftop thing. He managed to get to many of the rooftops with a better success rate. There was the occasional dumpster diving, but that was okay. It was his first time. We were almost halfway to the spot. I sighed as my leg caught onto a roof ledge and I landed with a thud onto the roof. My arm's wound stretched open. I took out my last bandage and slipping it under, so the blood doesn't go through my suit. I saw that Dick was climbing onto the roof, probably after falling into a dumpster. I chuckled before helping him up. 

"That hurt." He said. 

"Dang straight." I said. 

"You know, I'm fourteen." He said. 

"So?" 

"You can curse." 

"No." 

"Fine, be that way." 

Minute Three 

I breathed a lot more. The blood was starting to really pour out into the bandage. Good riddance, I shouldn't have cut myself that deep. I sighed before rubbing it, as it ached really bad, and realized in pity that I just increased the risk of an infection. 

"Boi!" I heard Dick hear. I turned around to see him squatting and throwing his hands in front of him. I looked at where he was pointing towards and I sighed as I saw that he was pointing to a kid his age watching Lab Rats. 

"I don't get what's wrong." I said. 

"I watched Grace and Frankie with my brother every Tuesday and dis boy be watchin' Disney." He said. I tried to write it as well as I could, it's really hard to explain what he was doing. I swear, sometimes he really doesn't act like a kid who gets to kick evil butt. He acts like a goddamn fourteen year old. Crap, I cursed. And I did it again. I'll stop now. 

"Okay, calm down. Not everyone watches TV-MA." I said. "Wait a second, isn't Grace and Frankie about those two old ladies whose husbands left them for each other?" 

"They get high on a beach." Dick said with a smile. This kid sometimes, I swear. 

"Okay, I'm walking away now." I said. We went back to jumping over rooftops. 

Minute Four 

It was coming into view. I could practically hear people loading their guns and packing their knives. Some were getting protection ready. They were innocent. The rest were not innocent. Nocents. Jerks. Buttheads. How in the name of Gotham am I a billionaire? 

"It's coming." I said. 

"Winter or the East Wind?" Dick asked me. I glared at him. What was up with this kid and references? 

"Just don't get breath taken by the view." I said. "We'll only have a minute. The chaos starts right after that minute. Make sure your utility belt is fully equipped." 

"It always is." Dick replied, smirking. I smiled back at him. 

"Come on, you've got to pick up your pace. The chaos will start soon. It's like the purge." I said. We began to go at a quicker pace. We were so close. 

Minute Five 

"Here it is." I said. When Dick didn't say anything, I saw that he was breath taken. Good thing he didn't follow my advice, because it's more beautiful when there's nothing to say. 

The houses were all lit up, just before candles would be pinched out. Windows were open, letting us get clear views of mother carrying their babies, the fathers making the baby giggle behind his wife. Siblings all breaking into laughter as they watch Full House. Teenage couples cuddling over Game of Thrones. They're all together. For only five minutes, and only from this exact spot, can you realize how beautiful it is out there. 

I can't tell you where this place is. It's not as much fun as if you found it yourself If you're not in Gotham and you're reading this, maybe your city has this, too. It's just that, it's so much more beautiful to know you were able to find such a beautiful place on your own. 

"Wow." Dick said. My watch went off, and I sighed. I know my description was crappy, but sometimes it's better to experience something like that yourself, instead of hearing about it from a stapled packet of papers. 

"We've got to go." I said. I grabbed his arm, and we glided over from rooftop to rooftop, more quickly than earlier. We didn't have time to just go around doing whatever we wanted to, the moment crime breaks out, we have to be prepared. We didn't fight battles we didn't need to. Everyone in Gotham knows not to leave their home now. 

We got to the Middleton Corps building, and changed in the shadows of a dumpster. When we were in regular clothes, we strolled into the building. 

"Go to the library and read something." I told Dick. His eyes widened, and I realized that most buildings don't have libraries just sitting around. He sprinted over (probably reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer) to the library, and I sighed as I entered my office. Sitting at my desk, I spinned around in it until I was facing the window, looking at the city before me. My building was the largest in all of Gotham, still being built. I sighed as I saw that many of the buildings were in complete ruin. I let my eyes fall on each of the buildings before turning back to my desk and getting midnight work done, still thinking about the city's horrible crime rate, and the extreme itching on my arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The noir hero is a knight in blood caked armor. He's dirty and he denies the fact that he's a hero the whole time."  
> -Frank Miller


	6. R.O.B.Y.N's Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "People are weird. When we find someone with weirdness that is compatible with ours, we call it love."   
> -Dr. Suess

"Char!" Dick yelled from downstairs. He had moved in around three weeks ago, and I'd had 24 hour protection secured around his family's storage facility. How this kid can yell through three floors and still sound like he's next to me, I don't know. "Get down here!" I sighed before going down to the Batcave. 

Once I stepped off, I saw him tampering with my computer. 

"Boy, you don't step away from my computer, I'll come over there and slap you into oblivion." I said, sprinting over to where he was. I tickled him, and he chuckled before pushing me away and giving me a cold glare, obviously pissed that I made such a child out of him. Although he is a little cinnamon bun. 

"Anyways, I made something for you. Meet your new computer system!" Dick said. 

"Does it have a name?" 

"I was thinking J.A.R.V.I.S." 

"I am not naming my computer 'Just Another Rather Very Intelligent System' because you're an Iron Man fan." I said. 

"Fine, I was thinking Responding Operating and Baneful to Your Needs." Dick said awkwardly. 

"So... R.O.B.Y.N." I said. 

"Yeah..." 

"You named your very first and possibly greatest invention after yourself." I said. 

"Didn't Da Vinci do that?" 

"I don't remember any of his paintings being named 'Leonardo', pay more attention in History Class." 

"Fine, whatever. Anyways, R.O.B.Y.N. can search through hundreds of files, from freelancer's phones to government protected computers. Anything you want, anything compressed onto a computer, any file ever created electronically, you can find it. R.O.B.Y.N. has what I call a 'firewall hammer', and simply breaks down firewalls. You can't use the information against people, because R.O.B.Y.N only lets you view it, but you can still,well, view it." 

"And you made this?" I asked. 

"Yeah." 

"I have eight teams of internationally famous computer experts ready to create anything near R.O.B.Y.N, who have been always trying, who have told me that this 'firewall hammer' is almost impossible to build, and you made what they've been attempting for years and decades in three weeks?" 

"Pretty much." Dick smirked. I smiled. Looks like he got the last laugh again. 

"Nice." I said, fist bumping him. "Since you built it, you get to search up a file first." 

"I want to search through the Novak Industries files for Dean Winchester." Dick said. I felt weary letting him do that, since there could have been hundreds of files on him, and he would have become obsessed, but I let him anyways. 

"There seems to be only one file that matches what you are searching for." R.O.B.Y.N. said. 

"Why does it sound like a British Woman?" 

"I might have developed a crush on Lara Pulver." 

"Prince Charming's ex-wife?" 

"No, she acted as Irene Adler." 

"You have weird crushes." I said, at which point Dick blushed. 

"Anyways, R.O.B.Y.N., search through the file for anything of significant importance." Dick ordered. 

"There are three files which I would suggest you look at. The first is a report written after Dean Winchester was caught by the Joker. The second is a news report about the Joker's heists growing rapidly, and a new 'compliant' helping him. The third is a file about the last day of the month that Dean Winchester was held captive." 

"Read them aloud." 

I thought it would be better if I recapped it for you, and spared you the gory details and visualizations. 

Dean was kidnapped by Castiel, and for one month, he was held in a dungeon underneath JET, or Joker Enterprise Towers. He was tortured into insanity, into complying with the Joker. He began to become the Joker, look up to him, even called him "Puddin'" in the last transcript. The Joker had ordered for anyone reporting on "Harley Quinn", as Dean called himself, to be killed, which was why there was the article. The only person Castiel let roam free was Fairie Goods, the daughter of an important man in Joker Enterprises. The way the Joker compromised him, forced him to watch gruesome deaths, electrocuted him, cut him open and resealed him, even touched his brain at one point. 

"I'm saving him." Dick said, not even bothering to hold back his emotions. Tears stained his shirt as he sobbed. I hugged him into my shirt. "I'll kill Castiel. I'll throw him six feet under." 

I didn't have to say anything. There was no way I would interfere in his battles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Ladies. Gentlemen. You have eaten well. You've eaten Gotham's wealth. Its spirit. Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on, none of you are safe."   
> -Batman (Year One)


	7. FILLER: Crackhead Superheroes and Needle Eye-Stabbing Naomi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Our mission was to protect was God created. I don't know when we ever forgot that."   
> -Naomi (Supernatural)

**Note: Just a filler chapter! Not too important, but there will be a reference to something in the future. I will explain it at that point, though, and it will be so distant in a character's mind that they barely remember it. I think we're fine with a filler, right?**

Dick decided on who his first fight would be with. It was with a woman, Naomi. She had been torturing information out of people in order to gain power in Gotham. She tried not to steer towards anyone of important, but he knew that she was targeting seemingly unknowing street kids. Boy, was she getting herself in a biggie. 

She stalked Dick. Following him along alleyways, he led her to a more unknown part of Gotham. He made sure to record everything he knew about her. Recording, as in telling Alfred everything. I was busy, meanwhile, trying to track down the next Joker attack. 

"She's closing in." Dick said. 

"Don't underestimate anyone. Ever." Alfred said back. 

"What makes you think she's going to beat me?" 

"True..." Alfred said, smirking on his side. Dick chuckled before turning around and clapping. 

"I applaud you, I truly do." He said. She tilted her head slightly. 

"What are you chuckling about?" 

"Considering the only person to ever have made it to my territorial area of Gotham, this is actually quite impressive." 

"Shut up." She snarled, pulling out a needle and getting ready to stab it into his eye. 

"OH NO A NEEDLE WHAT A DISASTER!" He cried in sarcasm. She raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled. "Jeez, you really think I get scared by a needle?" 

"What?" 

"I went up single-handedly against a fake court jester, and he was fully armed. You telling me I'm going down because of a needle?" 

"I am not a fake court jester!" She cried, running up at me and getting ready to stab Dick in the eye. 

That was when he ducked right between her legs and pulled out his own tool from the utility belt. He pulled out a small little stick, and Naomi scoffed. 

"Going to beat me up with that?" 

"Actually, I was thinking more of intense maiming." Dick responded, and flicked his wrist. The stick unraveled, and it grew to be almost as tall as he was. He spun it around before jabbing straight at Naomi's face, jabbing her right in the eye. She screamed and dropped her needle, and fell as she clutched her now bleeding eye. 

"You've used torture to get information to make yourself powerful. Plus, to be honest, you chose a lot of overly strong kids. They died before they said anything. I've got to say, these kids are a lot more stronger than you ever will be." He said. He kicked her in the face, and she screamed again. Taking the needle, he touched his earpiece. "Alfred?" 

"Yes, Master Dick?" 

"Do I need to kill her?" 

"What was the third rule that Charlie told you?" Alfred ended on. Dick sighed before re-ravelling and putting away his stick/spear. He took out handcuffs and cuffed her. He called the police and kicked her in the eye to knock her out. Looking at his watch, he noticed the police would take around five to ten minutes to get there. He had spent all week coming up with his trademark. 

The police arrived to see a little origami Robin, carefully crafted, right next to Naomi, who was quickly bleeding out. 

"The Robin, huh?" The police officer there said. She smiled to herself, knowing to tell Charlie (hi, still me here) about how well the protégé was doing. 

~~~~~~ 

"Nice job, Master Dick." Alfred said. He passed Dick a scone, and he handed me one. I dug my teeth into it. Working in the largest skyscraper in the world is way too tiring for a superhero. 

"Don’t call me that. Call me Dank Meme." I gave Dick the coldest face I could. "Never mind, Master Richard is fine." He squeaked. I smirked slightly before continuing to eat my cookie. 

"Master Celeste, do you require a napkin?" Alfred asked me. 

"Hwueh?" I said, my mouth full of cookie. 

"Never mind." Alfred said, going to get the napkin anyways. Ah yes, Alfred, the father I never had. He puts up with all my drama. 

"Char?" Dick asked me. I grunted to show I was listening. "I've got a question." 

"I see that." I said. 

"Would... would you let me visit Bludhaven?" 

"The ugly place next to Gotham?" 

"Yeah, I found something in my Family Archives yesterday." 

"Okay, shoot." I said, finishing my scone and clapping off the crumbs. 

"So, my parents left a box titled 'Join The Hunt', and it has Bludhaven as its first destination. It also has a bunch of pictures of The X-Files sort of deaths." 

"Strange." 

"What's stranger is that even though my parents left it, I'm pretty sure it was put together by my brother, Derek." 

"Some trademark of his?" 

"And its all his ex-girlfriends. I don't think even Mom and Dad knew about that." 

"Huh... that's... ood." I said. I chuckled for a bit before Alfred came with a napkin and a glass of wine. I wiped away the crumbs and sipped the wine, thinking over the situation. The wine tasted really nice, to be honest. Like a light little drizzle over one of those wontons you used to get at P.F. Chang's. Alfred walked away to go tend to some of my scheduling. 

The doorbell rang. 

"Not it." I said. Dick sighed and got up to go and check who it was. He opened it, and all I heard was a grunt and what sounded like a scone dropping onto the ground. I ran over to him, and saw that there was a man holding a small envelope in his hand. 

"There's not much time." The man said, walking right in and sitting on my couch. He was pretty short, and was wearing a suit. He had a slight stubble and short hair. His accent was British. 

"Hi there, name's Crowley, I'm being watched right now by my boss, so I've got approximately sixty to ninety three seconds to tell you everything that I need to, although each time I've practiced this, no matter how quickly I say it, I always take fifteen minutes." 

"What?" I said, startled. 

"Basically, The Novak family is trying to say that we have a couple of people inside who are against what Castiel does. Mr. Novak, his older brother, wishes for you to know that he is on your side, but he cannot do anything from inside of Joker Enterprises." 

"I thought it was called Novak Industries?" 

"They have changed. The man's pretty much gone bloody mad, and meet my boss, Mr. Novak, he'll tell you more when you meet him privately, at Bludhaven tomorrow afternoon, if you wish to. And not you, Madame. It's for the Robin. Adios, mi amigos." The man, Crowley, said, running out of my house like he was terrified of even stepping into the place. He slammed my front door just as Alfred saw him run away. 

"Chased another man away, have you?" He said. I chuckled, and took the wine bottle he had in his hand and refilled my glass. 

"It's not my business, I guess." 

"Wait, you're not doing anything about the fact that it's a trap?" Dick said. 

"Trap? I'm pretty sure the Joker isn't stupid enough to send that salesman here." I said. Dick was about to say more, but stopped. I guess he couldn't argue with me. 

"I'll be fine, I guess. I'll be going as the Robin, right?" 

"Yeah. You'll be fine, brother." I said, patting his shoulder and walking off to the kitchen with my wine bottle to find out why Alfred switched my wine and grape juice. 

~~~~~~ 

Dick went to the meeting the next day. I'm not going to give away too much, but he came back and took a nap. 

"So, how'd it go?" I said. 

"I've got an ally, and he wants to bust Dean out." 

"Eh, I think we shouldn't worry about going too fast." 

"To be honest, same." He picked his head up from his pillow, and we smiled before I fist bumped him. 

I'm fist bumping a fourteen year old. Wow, Charlie, real cool of a billionaire. 

"Wanna go to Starbucks?" 

"Absolutely." 

~~~~~~ 

"What even!" Dick cried. He started throwing his arms out straight and pointing his hands at the shoes in my hands. They were this weird orange 80's pair that I found in my dad's closet. 

"It's my dad's." 

"What in the name of Jesus was that man thinking, ever letting his eyes see that?!" 

"I don't know, ask my dead dad." 

"No, I'mma ask mine." He said. We chuckled. So many dead dad jokes, I swear we're on crack. Does Starbucks count as crack?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Life is hard. It's harder if you're stupid."   
> -Dick Grayson's Robin


	8. James's Gang Fights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than a poet can help the inspiration to sing."  
> -H.H. Holmes, America's First Serial Killer

We're going to get this story going, even though I'm pretty sure every teenage girl wants all of Dick Grayson's story. He'll probably write that himself, but for now, we've got something else to do.

~~~~~~

_4 Years Later_

Our story now focuses on James Rathaway and his mother, Janice Richardson, nee Rathaway, nee Parkers. They were in Bludhaven, running away from the city. Crossing the border of Bludhaven to Gotham, they just happened to stumble upon Patrick Richardson, Janice's stepson. 

"Janice, James, what have I told you about these silly escape attempts?" He taunted. He pulled out a long knife. "Dad said to eliminate James, but I can't help it if Janice just happens to die in the process, correct?" 

Janice, being a righteous and religious woman, armed herself with her three foot long machete, which had "Satan's Little Devil" engraved on it. 

"You really wanna test me, punk?" She taunted back. She shoved James. He gave her a weird look. "Go, cross the border. Patrick can't fight both of us." 

"I'm not leaving you, Mom." 

"That's too bad, considering that I'm the only one of us that can handle The Little Devil, and I'm the only one that can take Patrick on." 

"I'll kill your own mother in front of your eyes, Jimmy." 

"His name isn't Jimmy, you snaggle-toothed skank." Janice taunted, and swung at Patrick. He dodged the blow easily, and struck her in the leg. She cried out, but he barely grazed it. She leaped forward and cut off his left elbow and below. Patrick screamed, but still stood upright. 

"RUN!!" Janice yelled, and James ran without even thinking. Once he crossed the border of the two cities, Patrick wouldn't be able to catch him. The Richardson Mafia had a deal with Joker Enterprises, they wouldn't cross over to the other city's land. 

James panted. The border was getting closer. The fence door was open. He would pass through, and be safe. Forever. He kept running. His feet were starting to hurt, the cuts and bruises he took from goons earlier were beginning to bleed again, his bandages were falling off. Just a little further, and he could just pass out peacefully. 

One step. One leap. He made it. 

"MOM!" He screamed in joy. He looked around for her. She had promised to follow behind him. 

"… mom?" He said. He looked back behind him, through the fence. She was panting, her face all cut up. How was Patrick still fighting? His arm was bleeding and purple, but her foot was lying about three feet away from her. A couple of her veins and bones were splattered everywhere. James held back the vomit in his mouth. He saw her turn and smile at him. Her teeth were all gone. She closed her eyes, let go of the Little Devil, and laughed as Patrick stabbed her in the forehead. 

"NO, MOM!!!" James shrieked. He saw Patrick give him a sick glare as he passed out. The blood, the guts. 

James coughed, and saw that the bulletproof vest didn't help, especially concerning punches. He looked at his now bloody hand, and passed out fully.

~~~~~~ 

He got up and coughed. The night was still covering for him. Joker Enterprises was one of the enemies of Richardson Mafia, so he had nothing to worry about. The Joker wouldn't turn him in, but that didn't mean he was safe. The Novaks were still ruthless people.

Standing up, he felt like he was roadkill. His head hurt, and the vomit he was holding back wasn't making this feeling feel any less like a hangover. Walking closer to the docks, he saw that there was a car. Broke the window, unlocked it from inside, and hotwired the car. A fourteen year old, driving a car. His parents would so be pissed. If they weren't, you know, dead. 

"Gotham... that means Batwoman would be around." He said. Sighing, he decided that he should just immediately drive to the apartment that his mom had booked. Luckily, it was fully furnished. Of course, he had only a vague idea of where it was, so he just drove around for a bit, hoping to enjoy the really scenic and beautiful image of Gotham. 

Of course, the Enchantress landing in front of him didn't really help. Especially when his car overturned. 

The best way to explain the next part is if you imagine it in slow-mo. His car is turning over to the left. James immediately opens his door and springs out, landing on both his feet and his car begins to slowly catch of fire. 

He pulls out a knife which has a small Robin engraved by a ten year old James on the end. The sidekick's symbol. He threw it at Enchantress' head, but she dodged it and sent it flying back towards him. 

"Don't throw knives, little boy." She taunted, several voices coming out of her single mouth. "You could cut yourself." 

James caught the knife as it flew back to him, and charged. She levitated a car, and it flew at him. James dodged the car and threw his knife again, and she didn't see it, especially since it cut through her foot. She screamed, and as she removed the knife, flew away, leaving a chaotic street behind her. 

"That's the most skilled accuracy I've seen in a boy your age, you know." I said from behind him. James turned around and stood his ground. 

"Batwoman." 

"I'm going on a limb as saying your fourteen. Gosh, these angsty children." 

"What'd ya mean?" 

"Seeing as Robin came to me when his own parents died, I would say that you've gone through that, too. Judging by the way you're practically bleeding yourself out." 

"Whoa." 

"Yeah, I know." I said. "Come on, we're going to the BatCave." 

"You're just going to take me to the BatCave?" 

"Considering that you've got better fighting skills than the Robin had when he was your age, I would suggest you come along." 

"Okay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "That was a little too much pressure for a first date."  
> -Red Robin


	9. Hello, Red Robin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "He's kind of like the Pied Piper."   
> -Jason Todd

"Char, who's this?" Dick said as I walked James in. I guess I didn't input the fact that a bloody, limping teenager would bring Dick and Alfred to some doubts. 

"A boy who's going to tell me exactly how he single-handedly went up against the Enchantress and got away without more than a scratch." Dick raised an eyebrow. "He was beaten up pretty badly before, and during the fight, he had skills almost on the same level as you. Key word: almost." 

"Well, I'd love to know how this kid went up against the most powerful witch in the Galaxy, while she practically creams most of the cops around here." Dick said. 

"I'm better than the cops." James replied. "I've got experience. My parents were Marty and Janice Rathaway, of Rathaway Industries. My uncle got jealous when they were successful and he got fired from S.T.A.R. Labs, who he gave up the company he originally inherited for. He teamed up with the Richardson Mafia and killed my father. He told my mom to either join his Mafia or die. Mom agreed, but only to let me stay with her and to train me so one day I would escape from them. I've got an apartment down on 6th street, so if you guys want to meet me there, you can. I've just single-handedly took down hundreds of thugs and a century-old witch, so I shall bid you adieu." 

He got two steps away from us before collapsing. We immediately called over Alfred to do his medical magic. About 15 minutes later, James was staying in the guest room I had that hadn't been used, well, ever. He was hooked up to as much medical equipment as we could get. It reminded me of my parents, but now wasn't the time. I was standing, leaning against the doorway. Dick was genuinely looking worried, sitting tensely in chair next to James' bed. Alfred had gone off to get some more medicine for him. He'd also called his best med students to come over and help James. 

"Before they died, my family would eat every Tuesday, my mom used to make this shepherd's pie that was amazing. Like, I hate potatoes and veggies and stuff, but everyone loved her pie. Even Dean liked it, and he hates veggies. He used to call himself a warrior. The first time we tried to force him to eat it, the only reason he probably consented was because it was pie. He tried it, and the next thing you know he was wolfing it down like he'd never seen food before." 

Dick was crying, when he finished. He started sobbing silently. I sighed. 

"I, uh, have your mom's old cookbook from when she was teaching me music at my old school." I said. He looked at me, his eyes teary. "We can try out some of the recipes, I know that she has her pies in there." 

"That, that would be great." Dick responded, sniffling. He got up and flung himself toward me. I didn't flinch at all. I just hugged him back. Alfred gave me a small smile, which I returned. 

"I'm sorry about your family." A weak voice said. We looked at James. He was awake. "I shouldn't have been so bitter to you guys." 

"Hey, it's fine, you basically paid for it." I said. We all let out a chuckle. I knew something changed at that point. I guess all it takes is for someone to be an orphan to start living with me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "That's what we are. Not just a team, but a family. One day we might be Justice League, but for today we are Teen Titans."   
> -Red Robin


End file.
